The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017 crossed the continent, from Oregon to South Carolina, and gave millions of people the chance to witness one of the most awe-inspiring events in the natural world.

But you had to be within the "path of totality", a narrow band across the earth's surface several thousand miles long but only about 70 miles wide. Outside that band you would only see a partial eclipse, not a total eclipse.

And there is no such thing as a "partial total eclipse", despite the impression blogs and the news media might give. I honestly think that's why so many people misunderstand the utter beauty of the spectacle; they may have seen a partial eclipse in the past that was total somewhere else, and even though they weren't in the path the news kept gushing about it being a total eclipse, so they assume they must have seen a total eclipse and just didn't find it all that impressive.


Posted by Dan 08/29/2017, revised 09/06/2017

"They cancelled the NBA," Brad said, glancing up from his phone as we stood beneath a digital sign reading "Cancun," awaiting our boarding group. Brad had been warning me ominously about the inevitable cancellation of my upcoming race for over three weeks now, and yet each time I checked, the Ironman website still showed all races proceeding as planned. The pandemic had already seeped into nearly every country across the globe by now, but Mexico was thus far untouched. Maybe Mexico was actually the best place to be headed?

This was a trip I had been planning for a year now, our first international travel in almost a decade, and I had spent the last nine months diligently consuming podcasts, books and online courses in Spanish, determined to be a fluent speaker by the time we arrived. The Ironman 70.3 Campeche race was an excuse to explore a new country and immerse ourselves in a different culture, and I was eager for the opportunity to learn, and to experience a new place.

But that excitement had given way to unease. Doubts clung to us as we boarded the plane. Bundled appropriately for the Denver chill, we endured the entire flight with faces covered and gloves on, too nervous to eat or drink, tensing each time we heard a passenger cough or sneeze.

Once in the customs line in Cancun, the 85 degree heat forced us to shed our extra layers of protection. It was clear we were the only people there with contagion on our minds. People crowded close together in long lines while impatient children darted back and forth, anxious to start their tropical vacations.

We were relieved that the second leg of our trip was in the safety and privacy of a rental car, a six hour drive across the Yucatan Peninsula, bringing us to our destination on the Gulf of Mexico, just before midnight.


Posted by Kimberly 03/30/2020

Went to watch Nik in his final road race with the Cal Poly team. Since he'll graduate in the Fall, he'll be able to race the Fall Mountain Bike season but won't be around for next year's Spring RoadRace season.

This one was a criterium--a fast, multi-lap race around a short, flat course on paved city streets. Although hosted by Stanford University, the course was a five-cornered, half-mile loop in Morgan Hill, adjacent to the headquarters of Specialized Bicycle Components (who just happen to be one of the most popular makers of racing bicycles in the world).


Posted by Dan 04/25/2011

The day has come when I finally have to do school work again. While I was not looking forward to this interruption in my life of leisure, I was starting to get a bit anxious to meet people and start joining some clubs and activities.

I played some pick-up ultimate frisbee yesterday - got a little exhaustion back in these retired soccer legs of mine! I guess you could say they're re-TIRED... heh. I crack myself up. I also joined the Dive Club and will be joining in some of their reef trips in the coming months, as much as my money will allow me :) Reef diving isn't cheap.

I'm also currently working on making my way down to Byron Bay (which is a little over 19 hours drive down the coast!) for Easter weekend for a huge Blues and Roots festival. 5 days, 5 stages, incredible music. Some of the artists I look forward to seeing there:
Xavier Rudd, G. Love, Maceo Parker, Keb Mo', KT Tunstall, OAR, Emdee, Ozomatli, Jason Mraz, Black Crowes, John Butler Trio... and about 50 other artists. Yeah, it's gonna be amazing. But I'm not sure how I'm going to get there. Buses or planes would cost me a good $300+ round trip. I wouldn't mind making an adventure out of the drive, but that requires finding someone with a car and the same twisted sense of adventure.

But the way I see it, I have to get to this festival. So if it means dropping some money for the experience of a lifetime, then so be it, eh?

That's all for now. I'll keep you posted on my ride search!
Posted by Whitney 03/06/2008